Je t’aime (I love you)

In any language, it’s you I love

“My daughter lives in France, so I’ve traveled there quite a bit in the last few years. I enjoy the art and architecture, the gorgeous countryside, learning the language… It’s truly a culture of romance. So in sculpting Je t’aime, a piece about love, I wanted it to have a little more style and mystique… a sophistication, an elegance… I made changes to the dress — extending sleeves and neckline. I love the challenge of starting with a solid, opaque, hard surface, and carving and carving until it looks like embellished lace. The extensive surface carving makes Je t’aime unique in the line. Although influenced by France, Je t’aime is a universal piece. The sentiment moves from the universal, to the personal one-on-one. ‘In any language, it’s you I love.'”

Promise

Hold dear the promise of love

“I carved this piece so that it could be viewed ‘in the round’. You get a different understanding depending on how you turn the piece. If you view from the side where you can see the man and woman’s arms around each other, it looks like they’re kissing. If you turn it and view it from where you can see their faces and clasped hands, it looks like they’re dancing — and it’s a totally different piece. I like this duality of interpretation.”

Love

Love, everlasting and true

“The posture and profile of this piece is somewhat iconic. It speaks about a love so strong that it continues on beyond a lifetime. The words ‘everlasting and true’ express the idea that love can go beyond death. The rose stem gradually blends into her body, so there’s no separation between the object that she’s holding and her body. I wanted the whole figure to be a symbol of love, not just the rose.”